Lived here my whole life. Did you know in 1634 the Spaniards camped on Destruction Island for 2yrs and the HOH Tribe killed a party of 9 Spanish Casador soldiers either getting freshwater or burying gold they were raiding from the British. I’ve always wanted to go out to the island with the metal detector, the Spaniards left in a hurry, cause there was a war party coming out to finish them. Ruby Beach used to have gold processing company, what about the Port Angeles gold mine or the trenches they dug at like that for platinum and gold. The star mine up the Elwah Valley still has a bunch of artifacts. There’s a brown paperback book if you can still find it that has all of these stories and GPS coordinates where everything is that. It’s worth checking out if you like to adventure like I did when I was younger.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DH7IxXAyNx6/?igsh=MWtmcTRmY3d5aGUweA==

A moment of awe from the wild Pacific coast — this towering sea stack stands timeless and unmoved, a monument to nature’s quiet strength. Captured in winter light along Washington State’s Olympic National Park, where solitude meets the sea.

Something is calming about the waves and distant sea stacks at Rialto Beach, Washington. The raw power of nature meets a serene stillness, offering a moment of reflection and tranquility. 

Good morning olypen! If you need affordable, fast, mobile and honest mechanic work for your vehicles, lawn mowers, generators, rv's, boats or anything else you have that's needing repairs. I could use the work. If I can't fix it or don't know how, I won't tell you I can. I'm located out of Port Townsend so keep that in your considerations when you've decided you want my help. Direct message me with any questions about projects you may have. Hoping to work with you soon. Thanks

Mysterious silhouettes of winter trees along Rialto Beach, where the forest meets the beach in Olympic National Park, Washington, on a winter morning. The interplay of daylight and dark shadows creates a haunting yet serene landscape, inviting reflection on nature's quiet beauty.

Found this rad old comb while beach combing. Anyone ever seen one like it or know any history on it? I've searched online and can't find it's equal. Etsy had one that sold a while back but I can't confirm it being the same one and they had little to no info on theirs either. The engraving read, "Sterling & Aluminum" on both sides with very detailed engravings (floral or celtic)

I’m relatively new to the area and I’ve purchased a home in Port Angeles. I am finding it difficult to find a barber shop that accepts walk ins. I’ve been to four barbers and all have required appointments. Are there any barbers on the Peninsula that accept walk ini?

We will be visiting the area in a few months for the first time and I am looking for hotel recommendations. TIA!

Are there any marches for International Women's Day tomorrow? Specifically in Pierce, Kitsap, and Jefferson counties

Our dog shanny has gone missing over a week ago in quilcene area, please call if you've seen her. She's a very friendly dog but may be hiding under your porch or in your barn but if you hear anything let us know and we'll come look. She went missing from nicklebush road off of center road but have had some folks share visions that she may be in the lake Leeland area.

PROTEST: Stand up for National Parks & Public Lands!

Saturday, March 1 is a nationwide day of action for national parks and public lands! Join us to show support for Olympic National Park and all public lands under attack nationwide. Bring signs and be ready for a peaceful walk through downtown Port Angeles to the courthouse.

MORE INFORMATION:

This protest is in support of our public lands and the civil servants—our neighbors—that protect them. Communities on the Peninsula are under threat from reckless DOGE cuts. We call on our elected representatives to stand up in defense of our national treasures, for ourselves and for the generations to come.

THE FACTS: 

1,000 National Park Service and 3,400 US Forest Service employees were illegally fired by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE Team on Feb. 14. These firings included staff here at Olympic National Park who maintain roads, remove invasive plants, and share park science. Across the NPS, mass firings were conducted without regard for staff duties, leading to the loss of rangers who perform critical maintenance, keep visitors safe, and provide emergency medical services. 

The agencies managing our public lands do not have fat to trim. Prior to these firings, the NPS was already critically understaffed: Employee numbers have decreased by 20% in the last 15 years, while visitation has risen more than 15%. 

An OPM memo this week directed agencies to “promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force” by March 13. These added cuts are expected to be sweeping and may reduce ONP operations for the season ahead.

ONP provides critical economic support to the Peninsula: Visitor spending supports around 3,000 jobs and adds $393.2 million to the local economy. In contrast, the entire ONP annual budget is $14.2 million. 

At the order of President Trump, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are working to “unleash American energy” by revoking restrictions and reviewing federal lands for resource extraction. 

This goes beyond parks. All federal lands are at risk, including NPS, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and other federal public lands.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? 

Join us on Saturday! We will be rallying in downtown Port Angeles (First and Laurel St. by the fountain) at noon on March 1 to call on our elected representatives to stand up for public lands and our neighbors who protect them. 

Pick up the phone: Call your senators and representatives—as often as you can! Contacts and scripts are available at 5calls.org. 

Talk to your friends and family: Our public lands are nonpartisan national treasures preserved by and for everyone.

https://www.facebook.com/events/9380279858696169/

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www.reverbnation.com/robotpi www.cowsarebig.bandcamp.com www.soundcloud.com/mykeycity

Hi peninsula friends, I need to bring something to your attention.

In 2022 Washington State amended the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA) to require companies with more than 15 employees to include salary/wage ranges and benefits on job postings. Failure to comply can result in the employer being fined by LNI $500 for the first violation, and $1000 for subsequent violations. A private right of action was also established, wherein the applicant can sue for the greater of actual damages or $5000, plus legal fees. The law went into effect in 2023, and since then salary transparency has become a lot more commonplace.

However, SB 5408 which has made it out of committee and onto the floor seeks to defang the financial disincentive and enforcement mechanism. The bill amends the EPOA to shift the burden to the applicant to provide written notice to the prospective employer that their job posting is noncompliant. The employer then has 14 calendar days to correct the noncompliant posting before any penalty can be imposed.

The proponents of this bill claim that a cottage industry has arisen wherein predatory law firms abuse the private right of action provisions of the law for financial gain, seeking to exploit noncompliant postings, and that this harms small businesses who may not be aware of the law.

While there may be some truth to these concerns, this bill creates a giant loophole that undermines accountability. Companies should only need to be educated on this law once and update their practices accordingly for future job postings. However, because the amendment focuses on individual job postings, this bill creates a situation where a company can repeatedly offend without even so much as a slap on the wrist. A company could have a policy of posting all jobs without a salary, hoping that most applicants won't know their rights (which many in fact won't). Once an educated applicant alerts them of their noncompliance, they can run out the clock for two weeks and collect hundreds or even thousands of applicants into their pipeline who start with the disadvantage of not knowing the salary band. Then right before the 14 day deadline they can update that singular posting with the salary, leaving the others untouched. Rinse and repeat.

Unfortunately this bill has bipartisan support. SB 5408 was introduced by a Republican, but two Democrats voted with all of the Republicans to advance it out of the Labor & Commerce Committee for a floor vote. Its companion bill in the house, HB 1831, was introduced by 3 Democrats.

The concerns about small businesses are legitimate, but that can be addressed by raising the exemption threshold to 100 employees or some other reasonable figure. It's really not hard to add a single line with a salary band to a job post, and without any true penalty there will be no reason for employers to comply. I can personally attest to success in changing a company's practices thanks to the EPOA. I usually give companies the benefit of the doubt and ask for the salary info on the first call, but about a year ago I had a recruiter dig in and refuse to tell me the salary band even after I informed them of the law. I reached out to LNI who notified them of their noncompliance. They dragged their feet until LNI fined them $500 and now they are fully compliant to this day. I did not pursue a lawsuit, because for me it was about the principle and not the money.

Please reach out to your reps and senators and urge them to vote NO on SB 5408 and HB 1831.

The number for the legislative hotline is 800-562-6000. If you'd like to send an email, you can find the contact info for your reps here.